Barbecues could have health benefits

Barbecues could have health benefits

» 24th March 2010 «

Brits planning to spend their summer hosting garden barbecues may be pleased to hear that doing so could have health benefits.

While it may be wise to avoid too much sun exposure and excessive amounts of alcohol and meat, it has emerged that barbeque sauces could actually guard against a number of nasty diseases.

A study by the University of Western Ontario revealed that the flavour enhancers can contain natural antioxidants that help ward off Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, inflammation and cardiovascular issues.

The research was conducted by biology and psychology postdoctoral fellow Raymond Thomas, who explained that "estimating consumption rates can be difficult considering they are not generally consumed in large quantities, compared to fruits and vegetables".

He added that it is hard to quantify the "relatively small amounts" of herbs and spices in the average diet, but that consuming them may boost people's chances of avoiding health issues.

Meanwhile, Positive Weather Solutions - which successfully forecast this winter's "Big Freeze" - has claimed that this summer could be the hottest in the UK's recorded history.